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Text "Madness!" Luna fumed, storming back and forth around the den of their cottage as Scrivener calmly wrote at his desk, the winged unicorn gritting her teeth before she pawed violently at a cushion, then mashed her head down against it with a yell of frustration before leaping up to all fours, mane sizzling around her. "The Pegasus is mad, Scrivener Blooms! 'Tis madness! Madness!" "Yes, I got that the first time." Scrivy said tiredly, and then he winced when a pillow flew across the room and smacked into his head, grumbling a bit before he finally dropped his quill and turned towards her as she gave him a frustrated look. "You're the one saying we had to be patient." "Nay, Nightmare Moon said patience, and continues to plead for it. I plead to beat her as I have not beaten anything before." Luna retorted, then she beat a violent tattoo against the floor with her front hooves, making Scrivy wince a little as she left cracks and gashes in the hardwood. "The creature mocks us, Scrivener Blooms!" Scrivy strode towards her and quietly hugged her, and immediately Luna seemed almost to deflate, her mane sparking before it flowed forwards and almost wrapped around him as she dropped her face against his neck, pushing herself against him as she murmured quietly: "She has more planned than I had expected, daydreamer. She is indeed a hunter, a predator. And I fear what she may yet do." Sol Seraph had indeed been waiting for them, not looking for Applejack or Rainbow Dash. She had wanted to pass along several statutes that were being implemented as a 'kindness' on her part, but it had been obvious what she had been attempting to do: provoke them into a heated response, possibly even a confrontation. Essentially, Sol Seraph had used connections and coercions to further empower her status in Ponyville: Mayor Mare had signed several legal documents that authorized her security staff to take 'all necessary precautions and actions to ensure the safety of Ponyville,' as well as authorized new laws that were now in full effect. Not that the mayor was entirely to blame… the papers had been further backed by a variety of upstanding members of the Royal Court, and while Celestia was likely to overturn the ruling, the nobles and politicians of Canterlot were likely doing everything in their power to keep the Princess occupied in other matters for the moment. Sol Seraph was already making use of her likely-short window of time where she held most of Ponyville at her mercy: she had ordered that to ensure the safety of Ponyville, all non-residents had to register at the 'Visitor's Office' now installed in city hall and undergo a screening process, then wear clear identifiers while they were in city limits. She had also installed a curfew at sunset, after which the law would permit her security forces to deal with any 'dissidents' with 'all required strength,' up to and including lethal force. She had also calmly announced that no other military or security service would be permitted inside Ponyville, and ordered the so-called 'Starlit Knights' to disband: Twilight had pointed out that she couldn't give such a command as it went against the order of Princess Celestia herself, and Sol Seraph had only taken a drag on her cigarette, and said in her awful, cold voice: "Celestia is not here. I am. For now, Ponyville belongs to me. Speak to me again in that tone, and you'll earn yourself a time-out in an isolation booth. I do not discuss privilege with unicorns who sell their bodies and souls for power." That had almost made Luna snap, as Twilight had only stared in horror… but thankfully, Luna had held off, and Sol Seraph had surveyed them with silence before simply leaving. It had left another question, though, which was why she didn't simply have them all arrested: more and more, Scrivener was wondering if the Pegasus wasn't simply insane. "Nay, Scrivy, she is a predator… a hunter." Luna muttered, pressing closer against him for a moment before she sighed and pulled back, instead turning to flop down on the bedding and moodily look over towards Sammy, as the skeletal pseudodragon chirped quietly from a cushion at her. "The creature knows her game well… she is cornering us, bit-by-bit. Yet still, she avoids moving directly against us… this time, attacking through the guise of politics and law. Law we have already sent letters to my sister about, laws that Celestia will undoubtedly revoke, even if I am sure it will take a surprising amount of time for Sol Seraph to receive these demands to remit her power over Ponyville, and she will likely drag the process out over the course of weeks if she is permitted to stay that long inside the village." Luna halted, then shook her head slowly as Scrivy laid down beside her, the two pressing quietly together as the winged unicorn turned her head towards the blue flames that quietly burned in the fireplace, gazing at them musingly. "Nay, this is a distraction. A smokescreen, and I begin to think that even if she has a vested interest in us, there is something else she is after, too. Somepony or something else she wishes to acquire, and I dare not guess at her true purpose, confused as it is, but her aims seem to be to separate us all from one-another, to draw us into attacking her, confronting her. I sense hidden agendas and ulterior motives beneath the roving waters… and perhaps even a torn loyalty. For sickening as it is, Sol Seraph does seem to wish to protect Ponyville from incursions… but her ideas of 'protection' and 'good' are more terrifying than Celestia's ideas of 'justified force.'" Scrivener grimaced a little at this, nodding slowly as the two pressed together… and then Luna sighed and slumped a little, moodily pawing at the floor with one hoof and muttering: "And poor Fluttershy. Afraid to go anywhere in Ponyville without the cover of friends and allies… she is caught in a desperate and dire situation I wish dearly I could do something, anything, to remedy for her. I cannot imagine what it has been like for the poor child…" She quieted, shaking her head slowly, then she grimaced a bit and turned towards Scrivener, leaning forwards and burying her face against the side of his neck quietly. "I know. I know, my beloved, we must continue to show what patience and mettle we can, and wait for the serpent to corner itself into a position where it cannot strike at us. Twilight Sparkle has advised me that she will keep in contact, and visit if time and responsibility allow. This, at least, I am very glad for… but Horses of Heaven, Scrivener Blooms… I do not enjoy this." "But Spike and Twilight are working their way through the documents and statutes that Sol Seraph has put together. So we can at least know what exactly we'll be dealing with… remember what Twilight was saying? She was worried there's emergency provisions hidden in the laws, something that will allow Sol Seraph to call in more security forces or further lock down Ponyville, maybe even go against Equestria's First Laws." Scrivener said quietly, and Luna nodded grouchily against him, grumbling a little under her breath. "Like you said, though, one thing at a time. We'll figure out a way to deal with Sol Seraph, one way or another. We just need to be patient." Luna mumbled something, then she pushed herself away and half-clambered to her hooves… then apparently found this too tiring, instead flopping down against the male and almost knocking him sprawling as she dropped her neck over his, mumbling: "Scrivener Blooms, I command thee to make everything better." Scrivy smiled despite himself, laying down and crossing his front legs beneath his head as he asked mildly: "Have you ever read anything I've ever written? I never make anything better. I just make everything worse. That's my thing." "Aye, thy poetry could use a little more comedy that doesn't involve ponies being set aflame or rent asunder, funny as that may be when I am in the proper mood for it." Luna replied drolly, and then she shook her head with a smile of her own before she slipped closer towards him, wrapping a forelimb around his shoulders and half-pulling herself on top of the male as she murmured softly into his ear: "But that is fine, Scrivener Blooms, for thou understands the bizarre truth that sometimes nothing must work out for everything to be okay." Scrivy smiled a little bit as he rested down against the bedding, Luna laying quietly with him… and they remained like this for quite a while, until Sammy slowly walked over to them, sat calmly on his haunches, and then spat a letter out into Luna's face, making her topple off Scrivener, then leap to her hooves with a yell and childishly chase the pseudodragon around the cottage as Scrivy calmly unrolled the parchment and read it over. It was a long letter from Celestia, detailing information she'd found out 'interrogating' Bucephalus – "Does thou remember how I said sometimes 'twas funny to think of ponies being aflame? This letter suggests sister agrees and indulged in that particular sport of comedy." Luna noted while trying to yank Sammy out from under their bedding – and retrieving financial records, that Sol Seraph was definitely here in part because of the imprisoned ex-general's apparently long-laid plans to 'help restore Equestria to a state of peace and harmony.' Bucephalus was convinced that Celestia simply didn't have the 'moral fiber' to hunt down her own sister or face off against the growing darkness throughout Equestria, and determined to do anything it took to protect his own country. He had made the deals through a proxy and several members of the Royal Court who had been willing to vouch for him, and a legal loophole that permitted him to 'donate legally-obtained finances towards the service of Equestria as an act of charity.' But Celestia had caught wind of another interested party as well, that had possibly used Bucephalus for its own ends. Mostly through instinct, and because of a few strange promissory notes and scraps of letters they had discovered after conducting a short search of the few belongings Bucephalus was allowed in his dank cell. The letter also mentioned that Celestia had vetoed the statutes of power handed down from the Royal Court to Sol Seraph, and sent letters to Twilight Sparkle, Mayor Mare, HMH Headquarters, and Sol Seraph herself, all outlining new limitations placed on the security force and the corporation. It was a very direct move, unlike Celestia's usual behind-the-scenes gambits, and Luna looked up curiously from where she had cornered Sammy as the male thought about this, the winged unicorn saying slowly: "'Tis strange indeed. 'Tis almost as if she plans to advertise my existence to Equestria… but that would be foolish. She is the ruler that Equestria wants, perhaps even the ruler it needs. Sadly, the position that I must fall in, for the service of Equestria… 'tis the role of villain and trickster, of Nightmare Moon." She quieted, and Sammy chirped at her as he ran forwards and scrambled quietly up one of her legs, the small, skeletal beast leaping through her mane, making it spark faintly as the starlight and trapped night rippled around it and Luna laughed, then smiled a little when Sammy scurried onto her head and sat primly down, kneading at her glowing locks with his small claws. "Yes, yes, I know. 'Tis not all bad. Thy head is full of thoughts now though, Scrivener Blooms… was sister's letter truly so informative?" "Celestia seems a little infuriated, to be honest, Luna… I can see it in her word choice, among other things." Scrivy replied with a bit of a smile, glancing back down at the long roll of parchment. "I don't think she suspected the Royal Courts to be so eager to go behind her back like this, and I don't think she anticipated Sol Seraph to be such a… a threat. You know that despite everything, she does love you. She's almost as protective of you as you are of everypony else." Luna grumbled a little at this, walking over towards him as Sammy chirped quietly from his place on top of her head, and then she nodded firmly, saying flatly: "Precisely! Listen to little Samael, there is wisdom in his squeaking. Did thou not understand what he said?" "Please don't put words in my pseudodragon's mouth, Luna." Scrivener sighed a little, rubbing at his face for a moment before Luna huffed and reached a hoof up to shove against his features, making him wince back a bit. "Stop that." She grumbled a bit, but relented after another moment of childishly pushing at his face, saying in a quieter voice: "It may be so, Scrivener Blooms, and I do care dearly for my sister. But both of us are aware that… Equestria must come first, and they would not handle the truth of what happened… of how even the mighty Princess of the Sun can make such awful errs… with the grace and dignity that we have. And we handled Celestia's mistakes with very little grace and even less dignity, my beloved daydreamer." Scrivener smiled a little at this, nodding slowly as he looked back down at the parchment before he rolled it quickly closed, and he tossed this onto his desk after another moment, saying quietly: "Anyway. While I don't doubt that it means Sol Seraph will still find some loophole or another to wiggle through and keep her current crackdown on Ponyville in place, I doubt she'll press her luck any further than this." "Does thou truly think the curfew will stay in effect?" Luna asked curiously, and when Scrivener nodded after a moment, she frowned a bit and lowered her head forwards slightly even as the small pseudodragon grasped at her horn and nibbled quietly at her starlit locks. "Truly, the laws of Equestria are as convoluted, complicated, and obsessive as my sister always was… 'tis sad that now, in attempting to prepare for every given situation, she has only created more bridges upon which criminals and vandals may dance. The old ways and the old days may have been harsh and heavy… but 'twas much less chance of being sent to jail for bashing a brigand in those times than these." She sighed, then grumbled and looked up at the ceiling as the skeletal pseudodragon finally scurried off her head and jumped to the floor, the winged unicorn flapping her wings once moodily. "Come, Scrivener Blooms. Outside, and into the darkness: let us patrol the Everfree Forest for signs of unwelcome entities and loose our frustrations upon them." Scrivy smiled a little despite himself at her, and then he nodded and fell into step behind Luna. She flicked the door open with a grumble, but hesitated for a moment on the outer deck, even as Scrivener Blooms joined her with Sammy riding placidly on the male's back, the winged unicorn gazing quietly out over the lawn and saying softly: "I remember once, we had a strange visitor here. A visitor I thought very little of for a very long time. A visitor I am sad will never visit this abode again." "I know, Luna. It's strange, but I miss her too." He smiled a little over at her as the door shut quietly behind them, then he glanced ahead as he walked out onto the lawn and headed towards the small bridge leading over the creek, saying quietly: "I guess Trixie really wasn't lying when she said she grew on ponies." "Aye, perhaps she did not… even if she did undoubtedly tell many tall tales." Luna smiled a little all the same, however, catching quickly up to stride side-by-side with Scrivener as she added quietly: "'Twas not the smartest unicorn, 'twas not the greatest and most powerful, as she liked to claim, 'twas certainly no great detective. But she was brave, especially in the end. The Velites still roam, but I am sure Trixie walks alongside my brother in the Vale of Valhalla… and oh, how they would enjoy one another's company!" She threw her head back and laughed, fearless in the night even as the forest loomed around them, but the stars faintly visible through the canopy of branches above twinkled quietly, as if in response to her laughter… and she shook her head slowly as Scrivener gave her a curious look. "Oh, come now, I have told thee often of Sleipnir, thou should well know his character by now. Yes, Sleipnir could find entertainment in everything… 'twas a quality that frustrated Celestia endlessly. She was perhaps the reason I had never truly experienced 'fun' until Ponyville." Luna fell silent for a few minutes, looking ahead as they strode quietly along the familiar path through the forest: both Luna and Scrivy could see almost as well in even supernatural darkness as they could during the day, and without painful tingling from the sun's harsh light. Then, as if she had never left off the conversation, she said softly: "Sleipnir was not as bright as Celestia… both figuratively and literally… and as thou knows, he was a colossus and boasted some control over the ground, but 'twas not magic, per se. He was like a gigantic earth pony, while Celestia and I are winged unicorns… he was like the earth taught to laugh and fight, and oft he did both at once, but never with malice." She smiled a little, gazing upwards as she said softly: "That… last, fateful battle… he fought Fenrir with all his heart, and he brought down the mountains with his strength, Scrivener Blooms. And even as the avalanche came down, crushing the great wolf beast and my beloved sibling, he told Celestia and I to take care of one another, and made light of the situation even as Celestia screamed and I could only stare in horror and fear. He was courageous, and tender, and… good with foals. 'Tis funny, the way we identify those important to us in the past as we develop, no? Once I would have told thee what made me proudest of my brother was that he was strong enough to crush an entire army, that magic bounced harmlessly off his body like the wind strikes uselessly against earthen cliff… and now, well. Now what makes me proudest of him is that he was always there to mediate between myself and Celestia… and he would have made a wonderful father." She smiled again, then both she and Scrivener looked sharply up as something ahead walked quietly into the path… but Sammy only gave a weak whimper, and both the winged unicorn and the earth pony lowered their heads quietly as the glowing white shape strode towards them. It was a spirit of a unicorn, almost intangible as it studied them with sad eyes for a moment, the air around it sparkling with frost as cold white mist rolled up from its glowing frame… then it turned and strode off the path, vanishing into the forest as Luna shook her head slowly. "Wretched, sad thing." "They're bad omens, right?" Scrivy asked quietly, shivering a little… and it wasn't simply at the awful cold in the air. "And there have been fifteen ghost sightings, just between you and me, in the last month alone. The Pales, as you call them… following in the steps of what killed them, or lingering because of unfinished business. What does it mean?" "It means something is in the Forest tonight." Luna said quietly, and Scrivener grimaced a bit before Luna suddenly veered off the path, following the trail of cold left behind by the spirit, and Scrivy winced but scrambled after her as Sammy whimpered and clung tightly against the male's back. "Come, this creature did not cross paths with us for no reason. We will discover what it wants us to find." "Yes, let's chase a ghost through the living forest in the middle of the night while a psychopath with minotaurs runs amok in Ponyville." Scrivener mumbled, and Luna grinned over her shoulder at him, her teeth glinting and making him wince. "I swear you're Pinkamena's long lost sister sometimes." "Nay, but Celestia is little better, she is merely psychotic in a different sense." Luna muttered, and then her cyan eyes narrowed slightly as she added mentally, the thought whispering through Scrivener's mind as if she'd spoken: Communicate like this, poet. I do not wish to be caught unawares. Scrivy grimaced a little, but he nodded, knowing he didn't have to precisely think back at Luna for her to understand… and the two passed through the Forest making little more sound than a whisper of leaves against body and the occasional rustle of tall grasses, their hooves slowly, easily finding the way… before Luna looked sharply up as there was a loud, hissing scream, followed by a sick thud of breaking bone and flesh. Then silence… but the forest had fallen still and cold, and Scrivener and Luna slowly, carefully made their way forwards, hearing their matching heartbeat in the terrible quiet, aware of every scrape, every sound, every breath… and then the sound of something being peeled, and a faint glow ahead. Slowly, they made their way forwards, until they reached a narrow, gently-sloped bank… and there, beneath a glowing, crystalline lantern that was hanging from a tree branch, laid an enormous, dead manticore. Its segmented scorpion's tail was broken, bleeding black bile as well as green poison over the mess of leaves and weeds it rested on, and its hide was speckled with blood, one limb still weakly twitching… but the creature was sadly, obviously dead, from the axe standing like a grisly trophy from its broken skull. Sol Seraph sat in front of the creature, her suit gone in favor of a tight-fitting blue security vest with black cups over the shoulders, her legs covered by thin metal braces. There was blood splattered over her face, and she was smiling almost tenderly as she carefully laid out a cloth kit in front of herself, filled with various knives and sharp implements… and then, as she took a slow drag back on the cigarette in her muzzle, she murmured quietly: "I know you're there." Luna and Scrivener remained silent, and Sol Seraph's eyes flicked up, searching slowly around the perimeter of the embankment… but they were far beyond the dull glow of the lantern, beneath the cover of the trees and bushes. There was silence for a moment, and then Sol Seraph seemed almost to look at them even as she picked up a knife, testing the blade against her hoof as she said softly: "The face of a lion… the tail of a scorpion… wings and claws, but they are not without intelligence. But that only makes them all the more dangerous to hunt, and I enjoy a proper challenge. "The claws are excellent for making arrowheads. The teeth for jewelry, or ground into fine powder and used in primitive medicine: the pelt is very thick, very durable, holds heat well. The poison in the tail induces paralysis and impairs nerve function, it can be refined into anesthetic or concentrated into a potent, lethal agent. And of course, the meat is very good, especially when properly prepared. They are strong, savage predators, and every manticore tastes a little different, reflecting their territory, and their success in life as hunters. Many ponies would pay much for the creature's corpse. Many would pay even more if I sold them only the parts they wanted, without having to deal with the so-called 'disgusting' process of harvesting the necessities from the waste. "But I am only interested in the hide and the mane and the wings… and perhaps some of the meat, if I have the room to carry it in my pack. I'm alone here, Luna, and I know it's you out there… and probably your husband." Sol Seraph smiled slightly, her eyes flicking back and forth as she rose the knife, the blade glinting dangerously in the dull light. "Are you afraid of me? Why don't you come and kill me, like I know you want to? Or is it because you understand that I am a superior predator, and you are just the scared vulture, hiding in the shadows, waiting for me to be done with my prey so you can scavenge the remains? "Still, I have more respect for you and your self-control than I do for the other ponies of Equestria… who would ask me to drag this carcass back to them, when it is my kill. When I am the one who has spent countless hours and many years training and becoming a predator from the prey-pony I once was." Sol Seraph halted, looking coldly, calmly down at the knife… and both Luna and Scrivener watched silently, as behind her, the Pale, the ghost of the unicorn, slowly strode towards her back and stared down at her, pityingly, miserably. "I am better than them, I am superior to them. Nature and life are about survival of the fittest, the strongest… and I am the fittest, I am the strongest, and I will not demean myself by caring for the weak. It is the strong that survive, it is the strong that prosper… and even a filthy scavenger like you and your slave-hoof are stronger than those belly-crawling ponies of Ponyville." She stopped, then suddenly turned… but to her, it was if the Pale didn't exist, the Pegasus leaning forwards into it and through its ephemeral body, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked back and forth, the unicorn ghost only continuing to stand silently. "I know you're there. I can feel it. I know you have questions, Luna, and I have all the answers you desire. But first I want you to prove to me you are strong… I shall even give you a knife. And with our lives in our weapons and our weapons in hoof, we shall plunge one into the other until one of us ceases to live, and then all your questions will be answered, and all my curiosities sated." Luna shuddered slowly, then she closed her eyes… before Sol Seraph turned suddenly towards them, flicking her wrist and throwing the knife in a hard snap that sent it spinning through the air. It gleamed, and for one impossible moment, Scrivener thought it was flying directly at them as if guided by some evil barbarian god… but a moment later, the knife sank into the trunk of a tree some ten feet away… and yet still far too close for comfort as Sol Seraph said quietly: "There's your knife, Nightmare Moon. Tell me through your actions… will you be my predator? Or are you going to be my prey?" For a moment, the winged unicorn breathed hard, shivering as she looked from the knife, towards the calmly, silently sitting Pegasus… and then she gritted her teeth and spun around, clenching her eyes shut as she threw herself into the forest and sprinted away, crashing through the trees as Scrivener winced… then recoiled Sol Seraph seemed to look directly at him, grinning coldly as she said softly: "Tell Fluttershy mommy's coming to tuck her in one last time, once she's done with you." Then Sol Seraph threw her head back and laughed as she stood on her hind hooves and seized the axe, ripping it free from the manticore's skull as she rose it high, the unicorn ghost she couldn't see still standing silently behind her… and Scrivener forced himself to stagger around, turning and sprinting after Luna even as he heard the sick, dull thud of metal biting into dead, still-warm flesh, cursing under his breath as he tore haplessly through the forest. He found Luna by their old path, skidding to a halt beside her… and she spun around and seized him tightly, hugging him fiercely as he hugged her tightly back, the two shivering together in the forest path, both breathing hard in and out as the forest seemed to whisper and sigh around them before the winged unicorn said weakly: "Scrivener Blooms… I… I…" But he only embraced her tighter, mumbling as he pushed their bodies together and grimaced over his shoulder: "Luna, believe me. After what I just saw, I don't think I'm going to be able to wander around the Everfree Forest by myself ever again." Luna muttered in agreement at this, and then she pulled carefully free and grimaced a little, flapping her wings once before she started a quick trot down the path, and Scrivener winced and quickly fell into pace beside her as she said nervously: "Come, then, my daydreamer, let us not dally here. I do not believe the beast will follow us but… let us put distance between ourselves and the creature in any event." She shook her head quickly as they hurried back towards their home, the winged unicorn grimacing a little as she grumbled: "To think… Nightmare Moon, terrified in her own territory of that… that wolf. More and more I see why the minotaurs must call her by that name… she is evil. She is a monster… but perhaps this also shows our strategy is working. She is growing impatient, and challenged us to a game of death… and Horses of Heaven, to think herself a better fighter than me…" "Or maybe she had some of those anti-magic crystals or something, and she was just trying to lure you into a trap." Scrivy muttered, and Luna winced a little at this, giving another shudder as the male said quietly: "What terrifies me most is that this creature is so… so smart. And that unicorn… it…" "I am not surprised to know she is a murderer. I would be far more surprised were the opposite true, in fact…" Luna shook her head quickly again, then she allowed her pace to slow a little, visibly regaining a bit of her calm and smiling a little, a faint blush in her cheeks as she looked towards Scrivener and said quietly: "I have made a fool of myself, Scrivener Blooms. Shown that even I… am fearful of the shadows in the dark at times." "That was no shadow in the darkness, Luna… and I still keep expecting to turn around and see her behind us with…" The earth pony grimaced after a moment, making a bit of a face as he lowered his head forwards, then he took a slow breath as he glanced up as Sammy whimpered on his back, clinging tightly down against his faintly-glowing white mane. "Oh what are you so scared of? You're already dead." Sammy squawked as if offended, and then he nipped at the back of the pony's neck, making him wince a bit as Luna muttered: "True, but I fear to think of what Sol Seraph would do with a trophy she could not kill. In fact, I fear much thinking now about Sol Seraph… and I wonder, too, what that unicorn's connection to her was. I know thou felt it too, did thy not? 'Twas not hatred, 'twas not even anger… the Pale looked to her with pity in its eyes and stance." Scrivener nodded a little, looking down a bit… and then he sighed quietly, muttering as they crossed the small bridge over the creek: "Maybe it was… a friend? Can things like that have friends? Or family?" "I wish that such creatures did but spawn out of Helheim, but sadly, they all too often seem to be born as any other pony is." Luna replied quietly, shaking her head slowly and murmuring: "It is a hard truth… but I believe as some things can be born good… some can be born evil, as well, tainted with darkness. I know that I was tainted with shadows from my conception, however I came into this world… but… I am only glad that inside me there still glimmers a conscience. Or at least a love so deep of those I treasure that it has bred in me the necessity to act with goodwill." Scrivener smiled a little at this despite himself, glancing towards her, and she laughed a bit at the look he gave her as they approached the cottage before she simply sat on the lawn in front of the deck. The male paused at this, then he followed her gaze, listened to her emotions more than her conscious thoughts as her eyes roved over the comfortable, single-floor cabin of dark wood, and he softened as he leaned quietly against the tall winged unicorn, saying softly: "Yeah. It is beautiful, Luna. And safe. Like you." "Foolish poet, spare me thy flattery." Luna smiled all the same, however, gazing at him with a bit of a blush before he reached up and nudged her gently, and she swayed a little to the side before glancing embarrassedly over her shoulder, murmuring: "Come though, Scrivener Blooms. The creature was all too close for comfort to our home… let us head inside so I may activate the wards." Scrivy nodded after a moment as Sammy chirped worriedly on his back, and then he strode quietly forwards as the door swung open, heading inside as Luna apprehensively looked over her shoulder, then gave a grim little smile before following, the door shutting behind her with a flick of her horn. Then she turned around, eyes almost glowing with her concentration as she gazed at the back of the door, and hidden runes etched throughout the wood in a spiraling pattern slowly pulsed into life. They glowed quietly, casting an eerie radiance over Luna's face as she stepped back after a moment, then nodded firmly to herself: as long as the ward glowed and was kept charged with magic, the cabin would conceal itself magically, becoming invisible to the mortal eye. It was one of several security precautions Luna had insisted on setting up throughout the cabin, even if they were rarely used: for most things, the Forest was more than enough protection and treated them as one of their own… but for creatures like Sol Seraph… She shook her head slowly, then sighed a little and turned around, striding towards where Scrivener Blooms was resting quietly on the bedding in the den and muttering: "The creature was deep in the woods. Who knows how long that beast has been out there, and for how much of that time she has hunted, how many she has killed? 'Tis terrifying, Scrivener Blooms… I do not believe Sol Seraph to be any normal Pegasus." "Well, whatever gave you that impression, Luna? The fact she eats meat, kills everything around her, or exudes so much malice it sent both of us running and screaming like little fillies even though we've been half-waiting for her to challenge us?" Scrivy asked dryly, and Luna gave him a flat look before she walked over and flopped half-overtop him, making him wheeze a little. "You know, one day I'll finally be able to beat you up." "Doubtful, thou steals all my powers to perform thine own feats. Therefore I shall always be a step ahead." Luna paused for a moment, then continued in a softer voice, as she absently played at the bedding with her front hooves: "And moreover, thou knows I mean something even different than that. Nay, she is not possessed… I wish that were the case, but I would sense a demon's presence in the creature, or any other malicious spirit, for that matter. Nay, her body is that of a pony and yet… something about her… is simply so very wrong." She stopped, curling down a little against the male as Scrivener nodded slowly, sighing a bit as he looked towards the fireplace, then muttered: "Yeah. I get what you mean, Luna, even though part of me wishes it didn't. Maybe we should go back out there, drop a boulder on her from the air or something and squash her flat. That would be fun." "That it would, Scrivener Blooms, but for one I doubt the creature will fall for such childish trickery, and for another, I will not allow the beast to scare me so greatly and bring my pride so low I resort to the tactics of a coward. For now, we are in a contest of wills… one I fear to admit that Sol Seraph has gained a momentary victory in." Luna shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "But we shall be patient. We shall bide our time. She is like a shark in the water now, and the smell of blood is driving her into a frenzy. All we must do is wait for the opportune moment when she finally loses control. We will not allow her to lure us into a trap… we will not permit the foul creature to make us dance like puppets. We will not give in to her temptations of bloodlust or her vicious, sadistic scorn. We will wait until she exposes herself, until she attacks in desperation or rage… and then we will stop her. We must stop her." Scrivener Blooms nodded a little, sighing a bit… and the two only rested silently together until morning, cuddling close for comfort, their minds linked and heads often touching as they shared thoughts without words, images without context, wild imaginings and logical processions. Finally, Luna's eyes opened, and she grimaced a bit as she quietly pulled herself away, Scrivener Blooms glancing up at her curiously. "Come, poet. Let us lower the moon and turn off the wards." Scrivener yawned a little, then nodded with a grimace, rubbing a little at his face, and together, the two went about their tasks. Luna drained the wards to allow their cabin to return to visibility, and then they made their way to the top of the cliff, sitting side-by-side and moving in silent time as Luna lowered the moon, her strength enhanced by Scrivener's presence, affection and his own stubborn resolve. They watched, sitting side-by-side, as the sun began to rise in the distance… and Luna shook her head slowly before she murmured quietly: "We must be careful, Scrivener Blooms. The predator is upon our trail… but what I fear most is not her wrath or rage or eagerness for the hunt… it is that she is the abyss. And to gaze into the abyss… it shall gaze also into us." "We'll stop her, Luna. And we'll stop her your way, we won't become her." Scrivener said quietly, and he gave a small smile to her as she smiled hesitantly back, nodding slowly after a moment. "Come on, I'll fix you breakfast." "I wish to drown my sorrows in pastries and vast quantities of jam." Luna mumbled, and Scrivy smiled despite himself, nodding as they headed down the cliff, heads down and apprehension whispering its way through their bodies as they both feared for the days ahead. Top ↑ Category:Transcript Category:Story